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That's What Friends Are For
| producer = }} "That's What Friends Are For" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager. It was first recorded in 1982 by Rod Stewart for the soundtrack of the film Night Shift, but it is better known for the 1985 cover version by Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder. This recording, billed as being by "Dionne & Friends", was released as a charity single for AIDS research and prevention. It was a massive hit, becoming the number-one single of 1986 in the United States, and winning the Grammy Awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Song of the Year. It raised over $3 million for its cause. Personnel *Rod Stewart – vocals *Jim Cregan – guitar, background vocals *Jimmy "Z" Zavala – saxophone *Kevin Savigar – keyboards *Jay Davis – bass *Tony Brock – drums, background vocals Dionne Warwick cover | recorded = 1985 | studio = | venue = | genre = | length = | label = Arista | writer = | producer = | chronology = Dionne Warwick | prev_title = Run to Me | prev_year = 1985 | next_title = Whisper in the Dark | next_year = 1986 | misc = }} A one-off collaboration headed by Dionne Warwick and featuring Gladys Knight, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder was released as a charity single in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1985. The song was written in the key of E . It was recorded as a benefit for American Foundation for AIDS Research, and raised over US$3 million for that cause. Warwick, who had previously raised money for blood-related diseases such as sickle-cell anemia, wanted to help combat the then-growing AIDS epidemic because she had seen friends die painfully of the disease. Elton John played piano and Stevie Wonder played harmonica; the two had previously worked together on 1983's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues". In the United States, the song held the number-one spot of the adult contemporary chart for two weeks, the number-one spot of the soul chart for three weeks, and the top spot of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for four weeks, all in January 1986, and became Billboard s number one single of 1986. It was certified Gold on January 15, 1986 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was the final US number one for all but John (John would have two more US number-ones during the 1990s). Due to Stevie Wonder's involvement, it also holds the distinction of being the last number-one song for anyone who had topped the charts before the British Invasion (Stevie Wonder's first number 1 hit, "Fingertips", came in 1963). Outside the United States, the song topped the charts in Canada and Australia and reached the top 10 in Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, and Sweden. On the UK Singles Chart, the song debuted at number 49 and climbed to its peak of number 16 three weeks later, staying at that position for another week before descending the chart. It remained in the UK top 100 for a further five weeks, totaling 10 weeks on the chart altogether. The Dionne and Friends version of the song won the performers the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, as well as Song of the Year for its writers, Bacharach and Bayer Sager. This rendition is also listed at number 75 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of all time.Greatest of All-Time – Hot 100 Songs Billboard.com Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder performed the song live together for the first time in 23 years at the 25th Anniversary AmfAR Gala in New York City on February 10, 2011. Personnel *Dionne Warwick – vocals *Elton John – vocals *Gladys Knight – vocals *Stevie Wonder – vocals, harmonica Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts All-time charts Certifications 1990 benefit concert On March 17, 1990 an AIDS benefit titled That's What Friends Are For: Arista Records 15th Anniversary Concert was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. One month later, CBS aired a two-hour version of the concert on television. The celebrity guests and Arista label performers were: Air Supply, Lauren Bacall, Burt Bacharach, Eric Carmen, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Clive Davis, Taylor Dayne, Michael Douglas, Exposé, Whoopi Goldberg, Melanie Griffith, Hall & Oates, Jennifer Holliday, Whitney Houston, Alan Jackson, Kenny G, Melissa Manchester, Barry Manilow, Milli Vanilli, Jeffrey Osborne, Carly Simon, Patti Smith, Lisa Stansfield, The Four Tops, and Dionne Warwick. "That's What Friends Are For" was the finale song sung by Warwick and cousin Houston before being joined on the stage by the other guests of the event. Over $2.5 million was raised that night for the Arista Foundation which gave the proceeds to various AIDS organizations. References External links * Rod Stewart Lyrics Metro Lyrics * Dionne Warwick and Friends Lyrics Metro Lyrics Category:1982 songs Category:1985 singles Category:1986 singles Category:1980s ballads Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one singles Category:Charity singles Category:All-star recordings Category:Dionne Warwick songs Category:Elton John songs Category:Gladys Knight songs Category:Grammy Award for Song of the Year Category:Number-one singles in Australia Category:Rod Stewart songs Category:Stevie Wonder songs Category:Songs with music by Burt Bacharach Category:Helen Reddy songs Category:Songs written by Carole Bayer Sager Category:Pop ballads Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles Category:Arista Records singles Category:Soul ballads Category:RPM Adult Contemporary number-one singles Category:Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one singles Category:Songs about friendship Category:Colleen Villard songs Category:Song recordings produced by Carole Bayer Sager Category:Song recordings produced by Burt Bacharach